Semiconductor devices are electrical components that utilize semiconductor material (such as silicon, germanium, gallium arsenide, and the like). Semiconductor devices are typically manufactured as single discrete devices or as integrated circuits (ICs). Examples of single discrete devices include light-emitting diodes (LEDs), diodes, transistors, resistors, and the like.
The fabrication of semiconductor devices typically involves an intricate manufacturing process with a myriad of steps. The end-product of the fabrication is packaged semiconductor devices. The “packaged” modifier refers to the enclosure and protective features built into the final product as well as the interface that enables the device in the package to be incorporated into an ultimate circuit.
The conventional fabrication process for semiconductor devices starts with a semiconductor wafer. The wafer is diced into a multitude of unpackaged semiconductor devices. Herein, unpackaged semiconductor devices may be called semiconductor device die. Indeed, the actions between the wafer handling and the packaging can be called “die preparation.” After such preparation, the conventional fabrication process packages each of the die.
Typically, the packaging involves mounting a die into a plastic or ceramic package (e.g., mold or enclosure). The packaging also includes connecting the die pads to pins/wires for interfacing/interconnecting with ultimate circuitry. The packaging of the semiconductor device is typically completed by sealing the die to protect it from the environment (e.g., dust).
A product manufacturer includes the packaged semiconductor devices in the circuitry of their product. Because of their packaging, the devices are ready to be “plugged in” to the circuity assembly of the product that the manufacturing is making. Because of their packaging, the devices are protecting from the elements that might degrade or destroy the device. In addition, because of their packaging, the devices are inherently larger (e.g., in some cases, around 10 times the thickness and 10 times the area, resulting in 100 times the volume) than the die found inside the package. Thus, the resulting circuit assembly cannot be any thinner than the packaging of the semiconductor devices.